1. Field
This invention relates to personal article storage devices, and more particularly to apparatus for storing jewelry.
2. State of the Art
Recently, earrings for use with pierced ears (pierced earrings) have become increasingly common. These earrings come in a wide assortment of shapes and sizes and they typically come in matched pairs. One common form (post-type) is typically small with each earring having a single post which extends substantially normal to the decorative earring structure. The post is sized in length so that it may be positioned through an opening formed in the earlobe of a user (pierced ear) and held in position by a fastener which secures to the post portion extending behind the earlobe. A small cultured pearl affixed to a gold (metallic) setting with a post extending therefrom is but one example of a post-type pierced earring in widespread use today.
Some earrings for pierced ears have elongated decorative structure suspended below a generally "U"-shaped suspension member which is threaded through the opening of a pierced ear. Yet other types are formed with a post or pin-like structure for passing through the opening in the ear with the decorative structure passing about the earlobe to fasten to the post therebehind to give the illusion of a ring being suspended from the earlobe.
A variety of jewelry boxes or devices for storing articles of jewelry, such as rings, pendants, earrings, necklaces and the like, have long been in use and are well known. In one form of jewelry storage device shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,997,050 (Patterson), a tray is used to store items such as rings, and a cloth-covered cylinder is used to retain pins or brooches. Hooks are placed near the top of the cylinder for storing necklaces. In yet another form shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,058,356 (Michael), a container is used to store items, and arms extend from a shaft for storing necklaces. Hooks on the doors of a housing are for rings, watches and the like.
Other forms of jewelry boxes available today have various shallow compartments or drawers for storing items including pierced earrings. When a number of pairs of pierced earrings are placed in such a compartment by themselves or together with other jewelry items, it becomes somewhat difficult to quickly and easily retrieve a particular earring or matched pair of pierced earrings. For example, when an assortment of jewelry items are stored in the tray of Patterson, it can be seen that recovery of one or a pair of pierced earrings of the post-type from the tray shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,997,050 (Patterson) would typically involve some amount of searching. This is particularly the case for the relatively small post-type pierced earrings and their associated fasteners which may become disassociated from the actual pierced earrings to which they belong. The user must search through a jewelry box to identify first the appropriate pair of earrings desired to be worn, and thereafter search to identify acceptable fasteners for holding them or securing them to the ear.
Similarly, rings and necklaces may be placed in known jewelry boxes by placing them in selected compartments as desired by the user. However, when such items become intermixed, it becomes difficult to remove them and/or to easily and readily identify the desired chain and/or ring.
An improved jewelry box or storage apparatus is thus desirable to facilitate easier storage of pierced earrings especially of the post type, as well as other items of personal jewelry in common use such as chains, particulary the simple gold chains that are presently in widespread use, and rings, all of which may be generally referred to as costume jewelry. Costume jewelry also includes, of course, many types of colored beads and a variety of other different pins, pendants and the like. Those items may also be stored in jewelry boxes in an organized fashion as desired.